


An unexpected Christmas

by bitheflowers



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, Fluff, it is genuinely just fluffy fluff, kind of au i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 17:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17125805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitheflowers/pseuds/bitheflowers
Summary: Here is my Secret Santa gift! The prompt was 'christmas movie au' and I kinda went with it but also not really?After their Christmas plans get cancelled, Bernie and Serena find themselves in an unexpected but quite cheerful situation.





	An unexpected Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for bi-final-girl on tumblr as a gift for the Berena Secret Santa. I strayed from the original prompt a little bit but it's still in there. It's a bunch of fluff without much of a plot. I hope you like it!

It all happens rather coincidentally. Jason had told his auntie two months in advance that he’d be spending Christmas with Alan and thus wouldn’t be able to be with on Christmas Eve. He’d pop in on Christmas Day to exchange presents though, he promised. Serena was fine with this arrangement, was glad that Jason had found such a good friend in Alan. After all Elinor would be coming home for the holidays which meant she wouldn’t be all by herself. It would be good for their relationship, to spend time together as mother and daughter, she thought. She was excited about it. Until four days before Christmas Eve, Elinor texts her with the declaration that she’ll be spending Christmas with her dad. It stings for a little bit, the prospect of a lonely Christmas, of being left to her own devices at the last moment by her own daughter. Edward probably bribed her with the promise of expensive gifts and booze galore, she reasons with herself, but it isn’t enough to erase the bitterness that pools inside her.

 

She tries to focus on work instead, drowns herself in patient files and even considers changing up some shifts so she can take on the night shift on Christmas Eve. Just as she is about to look into it, her computer screen already displaying the schedule for the upcoming week, the door to the office opens. Immediately it’s clear that something’s wrong with Bernie as she enters their office. Her shoulders are a little slouched, her cheeks flushed and Serena thinks there might be some mascara stains under her eyes. Instinctively, Serena asks her what is wrong and Bernie surprises them both by opening up, a flood of words coming out so quickly Serena has a hard time processing it.

 

Charlotte had called off their Christmas plans last minute too. With Cam abroad for a ski trip, it was already a bittersweet affair to organise a Christmas dinner with just the two of them. But now Bernie’s daughter had changed her mind, had decided to go out with a bunch of friends instead, leaving Bernie with nothing but a lonely dinner to look forward to. As soon as the blonde had stopped talking, Serena’s hand had landed on her shoulder, her fingers hesitantly picking at the fabric of Bernie’s shirt. It had seemed so natural to ask her to come over for Christmas Eve, to spend Christmas together, two lonely, abandoned mothers sharing their anguish over a bottle of wine. Bernie had agreed somewhat reluctantly but eventually their plans had been made.

 

That’s how they found themselves on Serena’s couch that night. Dinner had been consumed, the third bottle of wine had been started and somehow the blanket that had covered their feet earlier was now draped over their laps as they sat next to each other, their thighs and shoulders touching. It wasn’t the most spectacular holiday they had ever had, a night in with a bunch of Christmas films was the best they’d come up with at such short notice, but it was… nice. Cosy. Intimate.

 

Serena yawned as the credits of _Love Actually_ started to roll and without paying it any further thought she rested her head on Bernie’s shoulder, a happy sigh escaping her lips. She could feel the woman next to her stiffen for a moment, before a hand came up and thin fingers began to stroke through Serena’s hair. The soothing motion was almost enough to lull her to sleep. She purred contently and turned her head so she could nuzzle into Bernie’s neck, seeking out the warmth and comfort of her embrace. It briefly crossed her mind that this might be too much, that she might be getting a little to familiar to be strictly friendly. After all they were just colleagues, good friends at best, right?

 

Bernie enjoyed raking her fingers through Serena’s hair and after a while she could tell she was starting to fall asleep on her, her nose pressed into Bernie’s collarbone, her lips against the edge of the blonde’s blouse.

 

“Serena?” she mumbled, in an attempt to wake the brunette up. When she didn’t get a reply, she tried again, forcing herself to sit up a little straighter to stir Serena a little. A low moan emanated from the woman and then nothing. Later Bernie would blame the wine, the atmosphere in Serena’s house, the bloody Christmas spirit for it but she decided to push her luck and plant a kiss on top of her friend’s head.

 

“Wake up, sleepy head.” She whispered softly and this time Serena sat up and ran a hand over her face before she looked at Bernie. Their eyes met and for a second Bernie thought Serena would be mad at her for waking her up or for taking the opportunity to kiss her head. However that thought soon vanished as a gentle hand cupped her cheek, pulling her closer.

 

“Bernie,” Serena mumbled, her voice rough with sleep, “you’re really beautiful, you know that?” Before Bernie could utter a stunned reply, their lips touched. The kiss was so tender, it felt as if it had barely happened at all. But it had and as Bernie pulled back, her expression a combination of shock and happiness, all she saw was the warmth and love in Serena’s eyes and how incredibly soft she looked.

 

Without thinking Bernie leaned in again, this time kissing Serena properly, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. One of them groaned as their tongues met, neither of them sure who was making the noise, too caught up in the taste and feel of each other.

 

They pulled back eventually, their fingers intertwining as they settled down under the blanket again, cuddling into each other.

 

“I really like you, Serena.” Bernie whispered into the woman’s hair and she could feel her fingers squeezing tightly.

 

“Stay, tonight?” Serena asked her, her voice more vulnerable than Bernie had ever heard it. She pressed her lips against the brown locks again and replied.

 

“I’d love to. I think this might be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”


End file.
